Automobile door latch, etc.



May (6, 1941. A. E. SMITH AUTOMOBILE DOOR LATCH, ETC- Filed Jan. 28,1939 3 Sheets-Sheet l y 6, 1941- A. E. SMITH 2,24,524

AUTOMOBILE DOOR LATCH, ETC

Filed Jan. 28, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 1. I k f y 6, 1941. A. E. SMITH2,240,524

AUTOMOBILE DOOR LATCH, ETC

Filed Jan. 28, 1959' 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented May 6, 1941 AUTOMOBILEDOOR LATCH, ETC.

Arthur E. Smith, Brooklyn, N. Y., asslgnor to Bid-- Lok Corporation, NewYork, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application January 28, 1939,Serial No. 253,418

4 Claims.

This invention relates to operating mechanism for door latches and thelike and has particular reference to means for operating latch mechanismof automobile doors.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved operating mechanismof simple construction wherein the operating handle elements arecountersunk or concealed with respect to the door, and in which certainelements of the operating mechanism are designed to move within theclearance space existing between the edge of the door glass well and thefront stile of the door.

Other objects will be apparent from the description. While the instantdisclosure is illustrative of means by which the invention is reduced topractice, it is to be understood that the structural details andarrangement of parts as shown and described may be varied as desiredboth as to arrangement and substitution in all respects not inconsistentwith the scope of the invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a fragmentary outside elevationof an automobile body of the four door type illustrating .the operatinghandle constructed in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is a horizontal section, partly in plan, taken through the reardoor of Figure 1 at the horizontal plane or zone of the latch operatingmechanism.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary vertical transverse section taken on the line33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective on an enlarged scale, of the latchbolt and certain of its associated parts.

Figure 5 is an elevation similar to Figure l but illustrating analternative embodiment of the invention in which the exterior latchhandles are concealed with respect to the outer wall of the automobilebody.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary horizontal section taken in the zone of thelatch operating mechanism of the rear door shown in Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a vertical section taken on the line 1'l of Figure'fi.

Figure 8 is a vertical section taken substantially on the line 8-8 ofFigure 6.

Figure 9 is a transverse vertical section taken substantially on theline 99 of Figure 6.

Figure 10is a fragmentary perspective on an enlarged scale illustratinga detail of the operating handle.

Figure I1 is also' a fragmentary perspective on an enlarged scaleillustrating certain operative details of the latch bolt and its mannerof assembly with associated elements.

Recent developments in automobile designs have brought about efforts toeffect a removal of projecting door latch handles and to dispose saidhandles in streamlined, blended or concealed relationship with theexterior and interior wall plates of the door with which they areassociated. The present invention has been designed with this designtrend in view and contemplates a relatively simple arrangement ofoperating mechanism by which the number of operating parts is greatlyreduced as compared with the average door latch operating mechanism,andin which full use is made of the very limited clearance spaceexisting between the end or the glass well and the stile of the door.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 through 4 the invention isshown as associated with an automobile body equipped with a front doorl5 and a rear door It; the latch operating mechanism being the same inboth except for a reversal of operating direction. In order to avoidprolixity the latch operating mechanism is described only in connectionwith the rear door l6.

As in conventional practice the door includes an inner wall I1 and anouter wall It! which is provided with the usual horizontal decorativehead or molding l9, this being in the present instance pressed from themetal body of the door wall. The window glass 20 operates vertically inthe usual manner in slidable relation between the door walls in the wellprovided by the clearance existing between the inner and outer walls.

At an appropriate point in line with the bead IS the exterior wall I8 ishorizontally slotted a su-ificient linear distance to accommodate ahandle lever 2| which, adjacent one end, is mounted on a vertical pivotpin 22 appropriately secured on the inner face of the exterior wall 18so that the handle may be swung laterally through a horizontal arc inorder to effect operation or the latch mechanism. The outboard portionof the handle 2| is formed or otherwise finished to simulate acontinuation of the bead l9 and in its innermost position, that is whenthe door is latched, the handle seats within the door slot completelyfilling the same and giving an optical illusion or appearance of acontinued portion of the decorative bead. As the bead I9 is entirely cutaway in the area of the handle 2| it is obvious that the projecting, orbead simulating, portion of the handle may readily be grasped when thehandle is to be swung out to unlock the door.

bolt asse'mbly comprises a bolt 23 provided with a recess 24 forcooperation with any approcessing the inner side edge of the plate 34for e an appropriate distance forwardly from its point priate type oflock mechanism, not shown. "The bolt is mounted for reciprocation in ahorizontal plane in the space between the window glass and the innerwall I! and operates in the conventional manner through an aperture inthe front stile 25 to engage in the bolt keeper socket 23 provided inthe door 'iamb 21 which forms a part of the automobile body structure.An operating rod 28 extends from the rear end of the bolt 23, beingrigidly connected thereto and be ing slidably supported through bracketmeans 29 suitably fixed to the adjacent face of. the inner wall II.These bracket means 23' comprise one or more individual bracket piecesso situated and spaced as to provide adequate support for the operatingrod 28 and to insure proper alignment of the bolt with respect to itsslot and keeper. At its rear end the rod 28 has an appropriate operatingconnection with the inside operating handle 30. The handle 30 is mountedfor operation within a well 3| provided in the inner wall of the door sothat no interior projecting portion of the mechanism exists.

The bolt 23 is further provided with a lateral extension 32 rigidlyassociated therewith and extending transversely of door in the directionof the outer wall It in the clearance space between the edge of thewindow glass and door stile 25 and in close proximity to the stile 25when the bolt is projected to latched position as shown in Figure 2. Inthe illustrated embodiment the extension 32 is shown as a web integralwith the bolt 23 and extending at .a right angle therefrom. It isobvious, and it is so intended, that where desired the extension 32 maycomprise a separate member having an appropriate connection with thebolt so that two move in unison.

On the other side of the window pane an, that is between the windowglass and the outer wall l8, the boltextension 32 is provided with arearwardly extendedmortion 33, preferably an integral continuation ofthe web 32 which extends substantially parallel with the bolt 23 andwhich is formed with a quarter turn just forwardly of the forward end ofthe housing slot for the exterior latch handle 2|. The result of thisquarter turn is to providea flat horizontal plate 34 which passesbeneath the handle 2| and which at its rear endis guided for slidablereciprocation through a support bracket 35 provided on the inner face ofthe outer wall I8. From the rear end of the plate 34 a stem 36 extendsin slidably supported relation through a bracket 31 also secured to theinner face of the outer wall l8 and which provides a stop for one end ofan expansion spring 38 that is coiled about the stem 36 with its otherend abutting the end of the plate 34. It is obvious that the spring 38is placed under compression by the rearward or retracting movement ofthe bolt and the function of the spring is to return the bolt to itsfully projecting position, acting to urge the bolt to that pwition.

, The exterior latch handle 2| at its pivoted end is formed with aninward lateral extension 39 which mounts a fixed vertical post 40 thatextends down past the plate 34 and which, in the latched or fullyprojected position of the bolt, as shown in Figure 2, normally abutsagainst the shoulder 4|, or other abutment, provided in or upon the flatplate 34. In the illustrated embcdiment this abutment 4| is provided byreof alignment with the post 43. g

with the door in latched and closed position the parts are as shown inFigure 2. If it is desired to unlatch the door from the inside thehandle 33 is appropriately manipulated to draw the rod 28 rearwardly andretract the bolt 23. During this movement the plate 34 will be movedrearwardly by virtue of its connection through the extension 32 and theshoulder 4| will move away from its engagement with the post 40 carriedby the exterior handle 2|. The movement will be against compression ofthe spring 38 so that immediately upon release of the handle 33 theexpansion of the spring will project the bolt to its original positionand will also move the plate 34 forwardly until the abutment 4| engagesagainst the post 40. In this position of the parts the bolt is at theextremity of its projected movement and further movement is arrested byengagement of the extension 32 against the stile 25. Various othersuitable means may be provided to stop the projected bolt at the desiredpoint. The essential factor is that in the extreme projected position ofthe bolt the shoulder 4| on the plate 34 rests idly against the post 40.

When it is desired to operate the bolt from the exterior handle 2| thathandle is grasped and pulled outwardly swinging on its pivot 22 andmoving the post 40 rearwardly in contact with the shoulder 4|. Thisoperation necessarily causes the plate 34 and its associated bolt 23 tomove rearwardly under the forcing action of the post 40 as the lever isswung outwardly through its are. This movement is illustrated by thedotted line shown in Figure 2. The movement rearwardly is, of course,against compression of the spring 38 and when the handle is released theexpansion of the spring will return the parts to their originalpositions.

It is important to note that in this operation of the exterior andinterior handles the bolt may be operated by one independently of theother.

The extension 32 plays in the very limited clearance which existsbetween the edge of the window glass and the front stile 25 of the door.The extent of movement is slight and it is all that is necessary tobring about proper operation of the latch.

In the alternative embodiment illustrated in Figures 5 through 11 theexterior wall l8 of the door has its horizontal bead l9 cut out andpressed inwardly from its under face to provide a dished concealedhousing 42 within which the exterior handle 43 operates in a manner tobe described.

In this embodiment the handle 43 is of the curved type being reverselybowed with respect to the bow of the dished housing 42 so that thefingers of an operator may be inserted readily through the aperture 44provided in the molding which plays within the space between the outerwardlyextending post which passes through a closed end slot 49 providedin a horizontal plate 50 that is supported. for .slidable reciprocationin a supporting bracket projecting inwardly from the outer wall l8 towhich it is secured. At its rear end the plate 50 is reduced to provideastem 52 which is slidable through and supported by a second bracket,alsosecured to the wall l8 and which provides a stop for one end of anexpansion spring 54 coiled about the stem 52, and hearing at its forwardend against the adjacent rear end of the plate 59, the function of thespring. being to project the plate 50 forwardly and to urge the sameconstantly to that position.

At itsforward end the plate 50 is provided with a transverselateralextension 55 which is rearwardly offset as at 56 in a plane disposed atthe opposite side of the window pane 20, and which offset terminates inalug portion 51 which extends in the direction of the inner wall l1 andparallel with the extension 55. The lug 51 plays within a recess 59formed in the adjacent side face of the bolt 59 which extends throughthe stile of the door for engagement in a keeper socket provided in thedoor jamb as in the previously described embodiment.

The bolt 59, best shown in Figure 11, is provided in its top face with awell or transverse recess 60 immediately in rear of the side recess 56,leaving an upstanding rear lip 6! providing an abutment adapted to beengaged by a stud or head 62 rigidly secured on the forward end of anoperating rod 63 slidably guided through bracket means 64 secured to theadjacent face of the inner wall H. In this instance the bracket meanscomprises a pair of independent brackets arranged in spaced relationwith the rearmost bracket to provide a stop for one end of an expansionspring 65 that is coiled about the rod 63 with its other end abutting aretaining washer or other abutment 66 suitably secured in rigid relationwith the rod 63 and which in turn bears against an adjacent portion ofthe foremost bracket 64 to arrest forward movement of the rod 63. At itsinner or rear end the operating rod 63 has pivotal connection with alink 61 fixed to the spindle 68 associated with a handle lever 69disposed in the well 10 on the inner wall l1 and providing the innerhandle for the latch. It is obvious that as the handle 69 is rockedrearwardly the link 61 will draw the rod 63 rearwardly and by virture ofengagement of the lug 62 against the lip 61 on the bolt, the bolt 59will be correspondingly moved rearwardly into its unlatched position.The rearward or retracting movement of the bolt 59 is resisted byexpansion spring ll coiled about a stem 12 which projects rearwardlyfrom the bolt 59 in rigid connection therewith and which is guided atits rear end through a portion of the foremost bracket 64, the bracketproviding a stop for one end of the spring II while the body of the boltitself provides the abutment for the front or other end of the spring.In order to support the bolt in its retracted position the inner wall I1is provided with a supporting bracket 13 on which the body of the boltslides when the bolt is moved to its retracted position. By this meansthe bolt is prevented from dropping down and becoming disaligned withits slot provided in the door stile.

In the retracting movement of the bolt by operation of the inner doorhandle 69 it is obvious, as shown in Figure 6, that the lug 51 remainsidle with respect to the bolt, playing in the. side recess 59 which isof sumcient extent to insure that ;the lug 51 will not be moved byrearward movement of the bolt under operation of. themner handle 69. Inthe normal fully projected po-" sition of the bolt the lug 51 rests idlyagainstthe front face of the rear wall'of the recess 56 which wallconstitutes and provides an abutment on the bolt for cooperativeengagement with the lug 51.

When it-is desired to manipulate the latch from the outer handle 43 thathandle is grasped by inserting the fingers beneath the molding l9 in theappropriate recess 42 and pulling the handle lever outwardly whereuponthe post 48 will be swung rearwardly moving within its slot 49 andbearing upon the plate 50 to cause the plate 50 to moverearwardly andthus carry with it the lateral extension 55 and the lug 51. As the lug51 moves rearwardly bearing against the shoulder formed in the body ofthe bolt 59 it carries with it bolt 59 so that the bolt is movedrearwardly into unlatched position. Upon release of the handle 43 theexpanding action of the springs H and 54 insure that the bolt will moveback to projected position. It is apparent from this association ofparts that either handle may be operated to move the latch withouteffecting movement of the other handle. As the latch bolt 59 movesrearwardly under manipulation of the outer handle 43 the lug 62 on theoperating rod 63 of the inner handle plays within the well or recess 60so that the inner handle is not actuated by movement of the bolt. On theother hand, as previously described, when the inner handle 69 ismanipulated to move the bolt the lug 51 plays within the guide recess 58in the bolt so that the plate 50 is not actuated and no movement isimparted to the exterior handle 43.

In all embodiments of the invention the illustrated details may bevaried or substituted by equivalent structures.

As in the previously described embodiment, the bolt 59 is provided witha socket 14 for engagement by the pin of suitable lock means (notshown).

An important characteristic of the invention in all its embodiments isthat the entire operating mechanism is disposed substantially in thehorizontal zone of the door latch with th operating mechanism disposedat opposite sides of the window pane well and having an operatingconnection extending transversely substantially in the zone of the latchin the limited clearance space existing between the forward edge-of thewindow pane and the stile of the door. This arrangement dispenses withthe necessity of complicated linkage and gear mechanism and makes forrelative simplicity of construction as Well as ease of operation. Theoperating handles are concealed or housed with respect to the door wallstructure and the exterior handles are mounted for lateral movementthrough a horizontal arc, thus providing economy of space andfacilitating operation.

I claim:

1. In a latch for an automobile door having an outer wall, an innerwall, a window pane movable therebetween, a latch bolt disposed forreciprocation between the window pane and said inner wall, a platedisposed for reciprocation at the other side of the window pane, meansproviding an operating connection between said plate and bolt andextending transversely of the door between an edge of the window paneand the door stile, a lever pivoted on the inner faceof said outer walland having a handle portion,

said outer wall being apertured to receive said handle portiontherethrough as the handle is acaopa-t carried by said outer wall, anactuator between said outer wall and the window pane, means mountingsaid actuator for reciprocation in a operated, and a post extendingvertically from;

one end of said lever and engaging said platefor moving said plate toretract said bolt on move--- ment of said lever.

2. In an automobile door latch operating mechanism wherein the doorincludes spaced inner and outer door walls and a window pane clearancebetween the edge ot-the pane and the door stile and being rigidly andintegrally con-' movable in a well therebetween, a latch 'bolt adaptedfor reciprocation through the door stile between said window pane andsaid inner wall, an outer operating lever pivoted on the outer door wallfor movement in a horizontal plane laterally thereof, a plate mounted onthe inner face or said outer wall for slidable reciprocation thereon,means carried by said plate and extending transversely of the doorbetween the edge of the window pane and the door stile into engagementwith said bolt, and a post extending vertically from One end of saidlever and engaging said plate for moving said plate to retract said boltas the lever is moved outwardly with respect to the outer wall of thedoor.

3. In a latch for an automobile door having laterally spaced inner andouter walls and a window pane operable therebetween with a clearancebetween one edge of the pane and the stile of the door, a latch boltmounted for lineal reciprocation through the door stile between thewindow pane and said inner wall, a handle lever nected with said-latchbolt whereby to operate said latch bolt by movement oi! said handlelever.

4. In a latch for an automobile door having laterally spaced inner andouter walls and a window pane operable therebetween with a clearancebetween one edge of the pane and the stile oi the door, a latch boltmounted for reciprocation through the door stile between the window paneand said inner wall, a handle lever pivotally mounted on said outerwall, an actuator slidably mounted on said outer wall for reciprocationbetween said wall and the window pane, an operating connection betweensaid handle lever and said actuator, the one .end of said actuator beingextended transversely of the door in the clearance between the edge ofthe pane and the door stile, a shoulder on said latch bolt, and saidextended end of the actuator having a cooperative engagement with thelatch bolt shoulder for moving the bolt in a direction of retractionupon operation of said handle lever.

ARTHUR E.- SMITH.

